30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging fairy tale retelling, January 20, 2009
This review is from: Princess of the Midnight Ball (Hardcover)
If you are familiar with the Grimm fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses, then you already know the main plot points of this retelling. Author Jessica Day George adds depth to the story of the young solider charged with finding out why the kingdom's 12 princesses wear out their dancing shoes every night by setting it in a place with magic even darker than the original.
Galen makes a fine hero, he's a noble orphan who knits and is kind to old ladies (traits which serve him well as the story progresses). He's taken in by his uncle, the King's gardener, and that's how he meets the cursed Rose and her sisters. Galen and Rose are the only characters that we ever really get to know beyond one defining characteristic - the other 11 sisters run together in a haze of flower names and are treated more as a group than individuals. The romantic elements of the story were also a bit thin, even for someone like me who isn't necessarily a fan of romance.
Despite knowing the fairy tale, I found this retelling adequately suspenseful and read eagerly, rooting for Galen to break the curse and usher in a happily ever after. 3 1/2 stars
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An entertaining read, March 31, 2009
This review is from: Princess of the Midnight Ball (Hardcover)
I have always been a lover of fairy tales. One of my favorites from childhood has always been the story of the 12 Dancing Princesses. So, I was excited when this book caught my eye during a recent trip to Barnes and Noble.
The story begins as Galen, a lifelong soldier despite his youth, is returning home after the completion of a war which has lasted 12 long years. Orphaned and alone, he seeks out his Aunt and Uncle. Galen's uncle is employed as the royal family gardner, and offers the hard working youth a position in the family firm. It is in the gardens that Galen first meets Princess Rose, the eldest of 12 royal princesses, and finds himself swept up in an unexpected adventure as he tries to free Rose and her sisters from a powerful curse.
There are many things to like about this book. Galen, the hero, is a charming character, and not just because he is an accomplished knitter. I was rooting for him to succeed after the first few pages. I found Galen's history particularly interesting. The author also did a nice job of including many of the details from the original fairy tale that I know and love. The story flows along quickly, and there really never is a lull in the action. Young adults will likely appreciate this retelling as it provides a handsome and dashing, yet kind and sensitive hero, and some wholesome romance. The character of Princess Rose is also no fainting blossom waiting to be rescued. She and her sisters all seem to be doing their best to save themselves.
I did find the writing at times a bit disjointed. At some points, I found myself noticing particular sentences that didn't seem to flow very well. For example the author described a character as, "he was so very much not happy." I'm not usually such a picky reader, as I prefer to lose myself in the story, but at times the authors voice seemed a bit unrefined. All that being said however, I found this a very pleasant read, and one that I would recommend for fans of fairy tale retellings.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Definitive Retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses", November 1, 2009
This review is from: Princess of the Midnight Ball (Hardcover)
With one exception, all of the recent retellings of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" have been spectacularly mediocre. There's Dia Calhoun's overtly psychological
The Phoenix Dance, Suzanne Weyn's overwrought
The Night Dance (Once Upon a Time), and Juliet Marillier's forgettable
Wildwood Dancing.
Princess of the Midnight Ball blows them all out of the water. Seamless storytelling meets understated magic, sure-footed prose, and surreptitious knitting in this satisfying retelling.
Yes, knitting. Don't ask me to explain, because part of the book's appeal lies in seeing how Jessica Day George takes the framework of the original and makes it her own. Suddenly, all the logic gaps, unmotivated actions, and rough edges of the original are given a context in which they make sense.
As the story opens, the kingdom of Westfalin has just ended a long war. Eighteen year old soldier Galen has had enough violence for a lifetime and is on his way back to civilian life. En route to the capital, he encounters an odd old woman who gives him an even odder cloak and two balls of yarn: one fine and white to protect, the other strong and black to bind. And with a few enigmatic words of advice, she's gone.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, the king frets over both his troubled kingdom and his twelve daughters, who mysteriously wear out their slippers every third night. It soon becomes clear that the princesses are not willing participants, but rather the victims of a bargain their mother struck long ago with the King Under Stone in his twilight world. As his true intentions grow clearer, so does the princesses' peril. After several princes fail to discover the secret and die in mysterious circumstances (which, not surprisingly, incurs international hostility), it's up to one clever soldier-turned-gardener to save the princesses, the kingdom, and himself from the queen's mistake and its widespread consequences.
Jessica Day George writes with the warmth and assurance of a seasoned storyteller, spinning (knitting?) a beautifully plotted and paced story that never stalls nor rushes. Without being slavishly realistic, the world of Westfalin feels solid, a deft mixture of the courtly and the common, real decisions and real consequences, good and evil.
If Princess of the Midnight Ball has one shortcoming, it's that the author is better at telling stories than creating characters. Galen and the eldest princess, Rose, are likable and sympathetic, though not highly memorable; Rose's eleven sisters, although reasonably feisty, blend into a forgettable bouquet of names. But that was probably inevitable, and the story works so well as a whole that you might not even notice.
As far as I'm concerned, this is the definitive retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." Recommended, especially to fans of Robin McKinley, Sharon Shinn, and Shannon Hale.
Jennifer Mo, [...]
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